Tag Archives: Reading

Rise of the River-Man: Mutter’s Story by L.S. O’Dea – Review

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Title – Rise of the River-Man: Mutter’s Story (Conguise Chronicles #1)
Author – L.S. O’Dea
Genre – Young Adult/Fantasy/Science Fiction
Length –  126 Pages
Publication – Oct 2015
My Rating – 4/5 Stars

Synopsis

In a world where the Almightys rule with absolute power over the other classes, being an unwanted Guard is a death sentence.

A Guard’s life is never easy, but Mutter’s has been particularly hard. An orphan at five, he had to fight for his survival on the streets and then he fought in a ring for an Almighty. Until, he lost. His master didn’t give second chances, so Mutter sits in the Guards’ shelter awaiting execution. His only chance is to be adopted but no one wants a Guard like him: big, strong and ugly.

Then his luck changes when an Almighty arrives at the shelter and gives him a choice: kill or be killed. Mutter chooses to live.

Things are looking up until he’s taken to a laboratory and stuck in a cage but that’s not the worst part. He’s not alone in the lab. There are…things in the other cages. Things that don’t move or smell like anything he’s ever known.

Now, the Almightys are giving him some kind of serum and he feels good, but does he feel too good? Is he changing into something else? Something like the creatures in the other cages? Can he escape before it’s too late?

Review

I was kindly gifted a copy of this book for review and I was presently surprised at the story considering the book is only 100+ pages.

The story was written well with a clear plot which developed at a fast pace. The characters were interesting; I particularly liked Mutter and Ableson. The interaction between these two was fascinating to read.

So the story is based in a time after a great death has hit the planet, lots of people died and those who survived now live under a new social structure.

The language used is perfect for young and old alike with enough detail to develop the characters nicely enough, especially Mutter.

I enjoyed the book, read it one day. It’s a perfect quick read but I have to admit I would have liked to have had more information on this “great death” and why only humans and large humans were affected and how these new social classes were then formed.

I’m not one for spoilers but the main reason for the 4* rating is because of the character Sweet… I’ll try not to give too much away but feel free to skip the next paragraph to avoid any spoilers.

Sweet for me was a great love interest for Mutter but I would have liked to see more development with her. When Mutter starts to change it would have made more sense to me that Sweet would struggle at first with this change.. then love would win out and she would love him no matter what he looked like.

Overall this was a nice book to read, perfect quick read. The book contains a scene which I would class as mild gruesomeness; this gave it some shock factor. The storyline developed quickly and since this appears to be a prequel to the authors Lake of Sins series I’m interested enough to add them to my TBR pile.

I’d definitely say this book is more suited to the younger reader but I’m 30 and I still enjoyed reading it.

To find out more head to Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com or Goodreads.

The Prospect of This City by Eamonn Martin Griffin – Review

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Title – The Prospect of This City: Being a novel of the Great Fire
Author – Eamonn Martin Griffin
Genre – Historical Fiction
Length – 309 Pages
Publication – July 2015
My Rating – 4/5 Stars

Synopsis

London, 1666. Agent provocateur Rufus Challis is given a secret mission by the Dutch government; an attack on England’s capital in reprisal for wartime losses suffered that summer. He has a single weekend to put his plan into motion.

When Tom Farriner, second son to the King’s baker, intercepts an aspect of Challis’s plan, he investigates. Already, a friend’s blood stains the cobbles. Is Tom man enough to bring Challis down? And to what lengths is Challis prepared to go to in order to see the city fall?

A novel for fans of CJ Sansom, Hilary Mantel, and Manda (MC) Scott, The Prospect of This City is a dark historical thriller with a blade concealed in its sleeve

Review

The book focuses on Rufus Challis and Tom Farriner. I’m not going to spoil the plot for anyone but Challis is not a nice man and Tom suspects this pretty early on.

I’m going to tell you straight away why I’ve given this book a 4 star..as I bloody loved the book but I wouldn’t have looked twice at the book if I hadn’t been sent a copy for review. The cover just doesn’t do anything for me. I know not everyone is like me but a cover needs to grab me.. otherwise I wouldn’t turn it over to read what the book is about.

This book for me was a diamond in the rough. I could never have imaged how brilliant the story would turn out to be.

Challis was a brilliant character, I could have read a whole series of books with him in.. his skills, his insight was exceptional. Is it wrong that I found myself liking the bad guy in a book?

Anyhoo, the other character Tom..he’s a bit of a nosy kid but has good intentions. He lives with his father, brother and Alice. There’s a complex family relationship going on throughout this book which added to the plot that develops with Challis led to one of the best tales I’ve read.

This book is full to bursting with detail.. sometimes too much. When the fire starts I found myself rereading bits of text to make sure I understood what the author was conveying.. there was so much to take in to try and place yourself in the fire.

Saying that at times the detail was so good it really did help you imagine what walking the streets would have been like, urine and faeces all around, whores offering their services to mention a few.

For me this was a brilliant historical thriller that I can’t help but feel anyone would enjoy. The plot is exceptional and it would be a great shame if you didn’t read it.

To find out more head to Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com or Goodreads.

To Be a Queen by Annie Whitehead – Review

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Title – To Be a Queen
Author – Annie Whitehead
Genre – Historical Fiction
Length – 406 Pages
Publication – Nov 2013
My Rating – 5/5 Stars

Synopsis

This is the true story of Aethelflaed, the ‘Lady of the Mercians’, daughter of Alfred the Great. She was the only female leader of an Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is the tale of one family, two kingdoms and a common enemy. Born into the royal house of Wessex at the height of the Viking wars, she is sent to her aunt in Mercia as a foster-child, only to return home when the Vikings overrun Mercia. In Wessex, she witnesses another Viking attack and this compounds her fear of the enemy. She falls in love with a Mercian lord but is heartbroken to be given as bride to the ruler of Mercia to seal the alliance between the two Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. She must learn to subjugate her feelings for her first love, overcome her indifference to her husband and win the hearts of the Mercians who despise her as a foreigner, twice making an attempt on her life. When her husband falls ill and is incapacitated, she has to learn to rule and lead an army in his stead and when he subsequently dies, she must fight to save her adopted Mercia from the Vikings and, ultimately, her own brother.

Review

Where to begin..I really enjoyed this book. It’s a powerful coming of age tale of Aethelflaed or Teasel as she’s referred to in the book.

At first I didn’t like her but after she was wed to Ethelred and she starts to warm to him I found myself warming to her. Although I have to admit Ethelred was my favourite character in the book. He oozed power and respect and I loved reading any scene with these two in.

The tale is set over many years and we see Teasel grow from a little girl into a powerful woman who manages to break down her defences and those of the Mercians to win their loyalty and to fight for their lives and their land.

We see Teasel deal with love & death.. and a lot of it. You could imagine yourself in her position having no choice to marry a man for convenience.. whilst being in love with another. As she grows she has to deal with those she cares about dying around her.. ageing.. fighting and you sometimes feel that she is about to crack.

The book is full of detail, add to this an insightful historical note from the author left me in no doubt this is a 5 star book. I couldn’t have enjoyed it more.

Annie Whitehead manged to make the character of Aethelflaed come alive for me.. I felt for her..i didn’t want to put the book down

I’ve used this word before but indeed the word that springs to mind when I think about this book is Powerful! Anyone who enjoys historical fiction will enjoy this and anyone who loves a female heroine will absolutely fall in love with it. The development of the two main characters was superb.

This book is a perfect mix of historical detail, love and death to engross any reader.

I was also left thinking about the frailty of life and how things don’t always go the way we would like but that doesn’t mean you give up.. you fight. Not many books leave me with afterthoughts such as this. Credit to the author.. this book had a lot of depth in my view and I loved it.

To find out more head to Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com or Goodreads.

10 Questions with…Keith Nixon

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Today i bring to you an interview with author Keith Nixon who kindly offered to answer some of my questions. I hope you find this as insightful as i did myself.

Q1 – How long have you been a writer and what influenced you to first put pen to paper?

Since I was about nine but I really started writing properly about 25 years ago in my early 20’s. It was a historical fiction novel – my wife’s grandfather stole a train in WW2 Italy to escape from the Germans. I initially wrote historical fiction as I felt I could only write something around a central event. I started my Roman books because of a visit to Maiden Castle. It’s a massive structure and I wondered how the Romans had managed to take it. Otherwise the drive to put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard) is just something inside. I’ve no idea what produces it.

Q2 – I’ve read 3 of your books so far and they cover quite different subjects. Do you have a particular favourite genre?

My preference is crime. However, I can’t help but add a humorous edge (usually based on sarcasm) at least somewhere in a novel. I might try and outright humour novel next…

Q3 – Where do you get your ideas from and does it take long to see them come to full fruition

That’s a very difficult question to answer. It’s usually from a single spark. It might be an event, big or small that either happens to me, I hear about or read a newspaper article on. Or it might be a person and their behaviour or a couple of words that just makes me want to tell a story around it.

I’m a fast writer, but a slow congealer of a story. I take quite a bit of time pulling all the threads together and reworking story arcs. A 60-70,000 crime novel will take me six months. Considering I can write 1,000 – 2,000 words in a day if I’ve a clear run, that’s quite a stretch. Historical fiction is more like nine months, just because of all the layers of research that need to go in. Mind you, The Eagle’s shadow took nearly two years and nine redrafts.

Q4 – I’d be interested to know out of the novels you’ve wrote do you have a favourite?And if so why?

I’m up to seven published novels now and two more currently being beta read. They’re all a bit different. I’d probably choose The Fix, primarily because I’ll likely never produce anything like it again. I just had a lot of fun pulling it together and I never intended to have it published. Putting it out opened up so many things for me – a whole world of friends and experiences that I wouldn’t have otherwise had.

Q5 – Who have been your biggest influences/support within the writing community?

My biggest influence initially was Ian Rankin. His was the first crime novel I read (the seminal Black and Blue).

In terms of people I know and have worked with the list goes on. The crime genre is very supportive. There are lots of writers, bloggers and reviewers so willing to give of their free time.

Quite remarkable. So I couldn’t really name a single name for fear of leaving someone out. I’m very lucky…

Q6 – Are there any books/authors you’re looking forward to reading this year?

I read a lot less than I used to. A mixture of less time and a struggle to find novels that really do it for me. Tony Black is one author I always read, there’s a rumour he has a new Gus Dury novel out. Can’t wait for that…

Q7 – I note on your website you’ve done a few reviews yourself. Is this something you enjoy and plan to do more of?

Same issue of reading less really. I do enjoy reviewing, it’s a great way of connecting with other authors. I tend to cover crime (unsurprisingly), debuts and Scottish authors, but not exclusively.

I’d like to do more, but time is limited – writing a lot, busy job and family!

Q8 – How important is feedback from your readers?

Extremely important. Reviews are very hard to come by. I’ve sold about 15,000 copies of The Eagle’s Shadow, yet (at time of writing) reviews on Amazon UK are at 92. That’s a tiny level of respondents. I’ve learned a lot from feedback, primarily because as the author it’s a wood for the trees thing. I can see and hear all the behaviours and speech of my characters, but the reader is in a different place. If I’ve badly communicated the plot, they’ll soon tell me. It helps me grow as an author. I’ve been fortunate enough to have far more positive responses than negative.

Q9 – I particularly enjoyed The Eagles Blood & The Eagles Shadow, any plans to revisit Caradoc any time soon?

Caradoc was the one that properly started it for me so absolutely, yes. They’re my best sellers, but the longest to write. I’m just planning my as yet unnamed third Caradoc novel (it’ll have Eagle in the title, for sure). Ironically it’s my 10th novel. Once Caradoc sails away then I expect Fionn will take up the mantle with his own series.

Q10 – Plans for 2016? I’m sure we’d all like to know what you plan to bring us this year

Lots! The two crime books I have in beta (the fourth Konstantin novel and a police procedural) will come out at some point, depending on the publisher, and Caradoc 3 at least. I’d expect to have one further novel well underway by the end of 2016. I just wish I had more hours in the day…

Thank you Keith 🙂 I truly appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions and help myself and other readers have a little insight to your life

If you haven’t already take a look at my Author Spotlight post for Keith to see why i enjoy his books so much.

To find out more about Keith’s books head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

You can also connect with Keith via his website, Twitter and Facebook

Birth of Hope By Andy Trevors – Review

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Title – Birth of Hope: The Gaia Chronicles (Hope Chronicles Book 1)
Author – Andy Trevors
Genre –  Fantasy
Length –  273 Pages
Publication – 1st Feb 2016
My Rating – 3/5 Stars

Synopsis

Joy. Peace. Fear. Death. Hope. To many, these are just emotions, facial expressions or words that are evoked in the face of numerous situations. However, there are a select few in the galaxy that have the power to wield them into something more. Into a weapon. Into a personification of their inner being.

They are called Spectres

Damien is one such person. With the Spectre Hope, he will shoulder the hopes of the galaxy as he strikes out on an epic adventure that will bring readers to all four corners of the planet, Gaia. From the peaks of Mount Cygnus to the sand-blasted plains of the Tahiba Dessert, Damien and his group of friends will try to find a way to end the war with the merciless Vangarians and unlock the secrets hidden within the depths of their hearts.

Review

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

So this book follows Damien as he is thrust into a war against the Vangarian horde, with the hopes of many on his shoulders. Will he be the one to end the war?

It’s a very interesting tale indeed, the whole idea of both armies having normal soldiers and also their enhanced solders with Spectres was a good idea and I liked  that the lead character had to develop throughout the tale and come to terms with the power he could wield.

The most interesting character for me was the Fallen Celestial, and I’m very much looking forward to reading the next book just find out more about him. He clearly likes to play games but whose side is he really on… what is his ultimate plan?

So you’ll want to know why I gave it a 3 star rating.. well for me there was an overuse of people names. My kindle kindly told me the name “Damien” is mentioned over 500 times. Sometimes it just wasn’t needed. For example “Simple, Damien”, she said. “The bad guys never win, Damien”. It was a little distracting during the first few chapters.

There were also a couple of inaccuracies I noted. When Damien is at the Core we are told his first class is history on the second ring, but straight away it’s contradicted as we are told he is headed to the history classroom on the seventh ring.

I always try and think of one word to summarise a book I’ve read and the word Birth of Hope brings to my mind is potential!

I have no doubt that the writer’s next book could easily be a 4* book, if not a 5*. The plot is good and I loved how the book ended setting the scene for more books in the series

In conclusion, this book is full on fantasy with a decent plot that will nicely lead to more adventures. The potential is there for this to be a very good series and I’ll definitely look forward to the next book to see what happens.

To find out more head to Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com or Goodreads.

Bomber Boy by Ike Pius – Review

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Title – Bomber Boy
Author – Ike Pius
Genre – Contemporary Fiction
Length – 41 Pages
Publication – 2013
My Rating – 4/5 Stars

Synopsis

300 passengers. One plane. One bomb. One switch. One Omar Farouk to set it all aflame!

Welcome to the fast moving world of advanced terrorism where Jihadists in Oman or Afghanistan can blow up buses, trains, and planes in New York, Madrid, or London-without even going there.

This is not the world of the future; it is our world as it is!

A world unpredictable, unforgiving, and deadly!

Review

This isn’t my normal genre I’m willing to admit but after being approached by the author for an honest review and reading reviews already posted I was intrigued and wanted to see for myself what this book was about.

First let me tell you terrorism isn’t something to take lightly.. and I feel the author did well to do the subject justice. The book is from the potential bombers perspective which I thought gave a twist on other tales I’ve read on a similar topic.

The main character is Farouk, as you read the book I felt he’s a man being torn up inside.. not knowing which side is right or wrong.
Overall it was an interesting read and it does make you think about the motives behind events such as this.. things aren’t always as straight forward as they seem

To find out more head to Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com or Goodreads.

Lokant (The Draykon Series Book 2) by Charlotte E. English – Review

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Title – Lokant (The Draykon Series Book 2)
Author – Charlotte E. English
Genre –  Fantasy
Publication – December 2011
My Rating – 5/5 Stars

Synopsis

The long-vanished draykon race has been restored to the Seven Realms, and the mystery of the istore stone is resolved. But Lady Eva Glostrum returns to Glour City with many questions unanswered. Who are the enigmatic sorcerers who woke the draykon? Their powers are beyond anything she has ever known. With one dead and one vanished – literally – Eva has little to go on save a book taken from a mysterious tower in the Lowers, its cover marked with the strange word “Lokant.”

Llandry Sanfaer is anxious to learn more about the glorious draykoni, whose story is so inexplicably bound up with her own. But when she brings another draykon back from the Long Sleep, she finds she has made a grave mistake. Worse, a white-haired sorcerer with a talent for mind control is stalking her across the Worlds…

As war builds between humankind and draykoni, Eva must uncover the identities of the sinister white-haired practitioners – and come to terms with the truth of her own heritage.

And Llandry must learn why she appears to be their primary target…

Review

This is the second book in the Draykon series and I absolutely loved the first. I’m just ashamed it’s taken me so long to get round to reading this one..

So we are back in the wonderful world of the Seven Realms and the troubles revolving around Llandry Sanfaer who discovered a mysterious stone which has caused so many problems. The Draykoni are an ancient race long thought extinct.. not any more….

Charlotte builds perfectly on from the established characters and events of the first book but so much more is added, more characters to enjoy and we get to know a lot more about the Draykoni history. Things start to piece together in places and you can see the big picture starting to form.

This book was a great chance for the author to work on the character development and it paid off big time.. we see the relationship between Tren and Eva develop. The storyline that unfolds for these two was brilliant.. frustrating and brilliant.. You just want to bang their heads together. What made it so go is you get to see things from each prospective which makes it easier to understand why they act the way they do.

One of the things I like the most about Charlotte’s stories is she isn’t scared of making a reader work, names and places you have to pronounce that make your brain work.. It’s not dumbed down. She also has a great way of making the characters personality come out in her writing, for example whenever you read a passage where Eva is talking you can always detect the slight superiority she has about herself. This makes it great to read as you can actually imagine the conversation happening rather than just reading the words… it makes reading it more fun.

The best addition to the book is Pensould, a Draykon, I won’t spoil him for you but his no nonsense approach has left me hoping he plays a bit part in the next book.

The other character I really enjoyed is named Krays, who gives fresh life to the tale and lots more mystery.. This man has motives we don’t fully understand and I can’t wait to get to grips with book 3 to find out more about him.

It’s very hard to write a review for this book as I don’t want to give anything away but if you like fantasy & mystery this is the series for you. This is exactly what I want from a fantasy book.

Ok.. if you haven’t heard of the Draykon series I urge you to have a look on Amazon.. It’s first book is free so why not give it a go? Links here to Amazon.co.uk & Amazon.com

What I did was read the first book then purchased the box set of 3 books, it offers better value and is definitely worth it.

Charlotte has solidified her place as a favourite author of mine so look out in 2016 for more reviews of her work 🙂

To find out more about Lokant head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

The Sun Shard by Rob Bayliss – Review

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Title – The Sun Shard (Flint and Steel, Fire and Shadow. Book 1)
Author – Rob Bayliss
Genre – Historical Fantasy
Length – 443 Pages
Publication – June 2013
My Rating – 4/5 Stars

Synopsis

Once, men and neanderthals shared the Summerlands between the Cheama Sea to the South and the Hailthorn Mountains in the North. But from across the seas the Empire came, borne on huge clockwork driven ships, their black powder alchemy proved stronger than flint axes, steel swords and naked courage. The old ways were seemingly lost, as the new Fire God blazed brightly; the tribes subdued, the Flint Folk exiled beyond the Hailthorns.
Seven generations later the Empire prepares for war with a ruthless and cruel enemy to the South. To fuel their war machine, the Empire demands levies of men and taxes from its northern provinces during the summer muster. One such levy is a young Gewichas warrior, Tuan Blackstone. Called to the banners, he faces a harsh future under the iron discipline of his Commander, but a brighter destiny is revealed to him that unites the cause of the peoples of the Summerlands in magic that predates the Empire’s alchemy.
But behind the light of his destiny long shadows grow, war and treachery have come to the Summerlands.But who will survive to see the dawn of a new Britannia, and who will fall to feed the ravens?

Review

We follow Tuan in world of magic, swords, guns and large beasts that taps into our own history. It’s a harsh world where men fight wars and women are can be used solely to please a man.

The whole idea of a Sun Shard was intriguing, the flint folk chosen by the shards to protect and use the power, suppressed and beating, waiting for the one to come to lead them back into the Summerlands.

Rob paints a very interesting world indeed with lots of colourful characters to enjoy, my favourites being Bronic (his back story was brilliant, really enjoyed seeing the big man’s motivations), and Kaziviere (The way Rob made my feelings about this character change during the book was brilliant).

Bronic has to be my favourite though; the back story coupled with his red rage gave him something the others in the book just didn’t have in my eyes. I’ve high hopes he will get more page time in the next book. I would love to see the way he communicates with Tuan become a vital part in the plot somehow.

So you’re wondering why only a 4 star.. well if I’m honest in parts I just felt things happened too fast..Tuan gets passed the sun shard and after the visions that accompany it his meaning in life changes in an instant and it would have been nice to see him have come to terms with the responsibility left at his feet a bit more. I also felt as Tuan holds the sun shard he would be the most pivotal character but he doesn’t develop much throughout the book for me..

The major plus point for this book is however another book is planned..We will hopefully see Tuan develop further. Rob has given us such a lush plot with so much potential that I’ll definitely be adding the next book to my TBR pile.

In conclusion Rob Bayliss brings us a brilliant historical fantasy book with so much going on, and that has so much potential that you really should read it. I can see this becoming a very good series of books indeed and I look forward to seeing how the plot progresses.

To find out more information head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com.

The Malykant Mysteries Compendium: Books 1 – 4 by Charlotte E. English – Review

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Title –  The Malykant Mysteries Compendium: Books 1 – 4
Author – Charlotte E. English
Genre –  Fantasy
Length –  330 Pages
Publication – Feb 2015
My Rating –  5/5 Stars

Synopsis

 Konrad Savast is the Malykant: foremost and most secret servant of the God of Death. His job? To track down the foulest of murderers and bring them to The Malykt’s Justice. No mercy. No quarter.

The Rostikov Legacy: When Konrad discovers the body of a wealthy society hostess lying in the cold, mist-shrouded reaches of the Bone Forest, the pressure is on to find her killer. Can he catch the killer without revealing himself as the Malykant?

The Ivanov Diamond: When three people turn up dead, their immortal souls missing, Konrad’s got a strange case on his hands. And it’s clear that it’s got something to do with the theft of a great and valuable diamond from one of Ekamet’s wealthiest citizens…

Myrrolen’s Ghost Circus: When a corpse turns up in the middle of Myrrolena’s famed circus, Konrad must uncover the weird truth behind the mysterious travelling show—and without falling foul of its enigmatic Ringmistress, Myrrolena herself.

Ghostspeaker: When a wealthy young woman takes her own life, Konrad is sent to investigate. Was it suicide, or murder? Or… both? To discover the truth, Konrad must navigate the combined perils of society gossip, an unregistered Ghostspeaker and a host of unquiet spirits.

Review

This compendium is made up of 4 short stories which have previous been released separately. I really enjoy collections like this as it not only offers value for money but also gives you more to read. I love a good short story but they always leave me wanting more.. a selection like this is perfect to keep you happy if you’re like me.

So these tales focus on the life of Konrad Savast. Savast has two sides to him, first being the wealthy and respectable citizen the second being the Malykant who basically deals out justice for those who have been murdered.

The idea for the Malykant really intrigued me, this dark avenger fighting for those who can’t. The added fantasy twists to the underlying tale of vengeance make for a very engrossing read.

I definitely think getting the compendium instead of the separate books is the way to go so you can move from tale to tale with the previous book fresh in your mind. You don’t need to do this but for me It gave something extra to the development of the characters, you can see Savast grow and struggle with his role as the Malykant and you can see his relationship with Nanda expand and motivations come to light in book 4 that tie things together nicely.

Also I really enjoyed Konrad’s companions in justice, Ootapi & Eetapi, their sense of humour fits perfectly with the theme of the book and I just loved them popping up.

I was already a fan of Charlottes before reading this collection and she has definitely kept me happy with this one. It’s beautifully written to help the reader understand the characters and their surroundings. The descriptiveness really did help paint a picture in my head as I was reading

I’ve given the book a 5* but I was left wanting more.. It credit to the author I guess.. Charlotte has managed to make 300+ pages seem like 100.. I got immersed so much I didn’t even see the end I sight. I’m looking forward to reading and review more of her work

To find out more head to Goodreads, Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

10 Questions with… Steven A. McKay

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Today i bring to you an interview with the awesome Steven A. McKay author of the brilliant Wolf’s Head which is book one of his Robin Hood series.

The series is currently made up of 3 novels and 2 novellas. If you’ve not had a look at them please click the images below to be directed to my reviews 🙂

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Now on with the questions!!

1) For anyone who follows my blog I’m sure they will be aware of your work but for anyone who’s not read any of your books yet what would you say to them to get them to give them a go?

It’s historical fiction without the “gadzooks” or “prithee” bollocks. I wanted to write stories set in medieval times but with people you and I could relate to. Normal people, rather than high born knights and ladies. Of course, I’d like to think the tales are exciting and keep you on the edge of your seat but I’ll leave your reviews to deal with that…

2) After reading your Robin Hood series you’ve left me needing more, you’re going to fill that void with a Christmas novella staring Friar Tuck. What made you decide to give the good Friar his own story?

I wanted to write a Christmas tale because I love the season so, really, who else could star in it? It’s a Christian holiday, whether you celebrate it in that way or not, so it was obvious the bold friar should take the lead.

3) I personally love a good novella; I feel it can give a great insight to an author’s writing style while also giving the author a great chance to elaborate on characters or events touched on in other books. I know not all readers agree. What are your views?

Some stories aren’t made to be told in 100,000 words. One of my favourite writers is HP Lovecraft – can you imagine ANY of his stories stretched out to novel length? They’d be awful! They work perfectly as novellas, and I’d like to think my two shorts work as well.

In terms of writing them, they’re great fun, it’s almost like a holiday! You don’t have to worry about side-plots or extra characters, you can just concentrate on one storyline and keep it simple and I really enjoy that because my full length novels tend to have lots of other stuff going on.

Amazon clearly agree – they have the Kindle Singles Programme which is described as “Compelling ideas expressed at their natural length” and Friar Tuck and the Christmas Devil was accepted into that exclusive programme so that says it all for me.

4) Looking back at my reviews for your books so far I note a common theme. Namely you’re not afraid to kill off characters. Were you not worried your readers might not like the direction you took?

No, when I’m writing a book I don’t think about how readers will view it. Don’t get me wrong, once it’s done and it goes out I shit myself wondering if anyone will enjoy it! But in the writing process I do whatever I think will work. When it comes to killing off characters, I feel like if I DON’T kill characters it would be unrealistic and readers would see them as superheroes which is not what they are at all.

They are, as I said earlier, normal people, and normal people die.

5) One of the best things about your Robin Hood series is that you’ve put a new twist on the old tale. Why did you decide to move away from the well-known tale we all know and move away from Sherwood Forest?

The original, very first Robin Hood stories were set in Yorkshire. When I started to research the legend my idea was to make it as close to the first stories as possible so I was surprised – and pleased – to find that fact out. It gave me something new right from the off. Who else writes about Robin Hood the Yorkshireman?! That old story has been done to death and even now there’s new novels about him coming out every few months but as far as I know I’m the only one placing him where he was originally, in Barnsdale, in the time of Edward II.

6) Who have been your biggest influences within the writing community?

The two guys that inspired me to actually do it were SJA Turney and Gordon Doherty. I saw their books doing so well, even without the backing of a publisher, and it gave me the confidence to do it myself.

In terms of my actual writing, it’s hard to say. Bernard Cornwell is an obvious influence but I take bits from whatever I’m reading that strikes a chord in me, such as the aforementioned HP Lovecraft, or John Fowles whose The Magus I recently revisited. It all goes into the old brain box and comes back out in my writing in some way!

7) To give your readers an insight in to the writing process how long does it usually take to get from an idea to publication? Do you have many rewrites?

I couldn’t really give an answer to that for the simple reason I have an 8 year old daughter and a 2 year old son! When I wrote my debut novel, Wolf’s Head, and the follow up The Wolf and the Raven, I only had my wee girl and she would be in bed at 8pm every night so I could get to work. But now, my boy is up to all hours being wild hahaha! It’s meant I’ve not been able to work as much as I’d like on my new book and even the last one took longer than it should have.

In general a novel takes me about a year from start to finish. I don’t really rewrite anything much. I tend to ADD things rather than rewriting them.

I seem to be really lucky in that respect – a lot of writers can spend all day working on a chapter then bin the lot because it’s crap! If I write a chapter it ends up in the book pretty much as I wrote it in that first sitting.

8) How important is feedback from your readers?

It depends. I really appreciate constructive criticism that I can do something about – for example someone said in a review that my new Rise of the Wolf audiobook had a line that repeats. So I’ve been working with ACX and my narrator this weekend to get that sorted. That was invaluable feedback.

I do read EVERY review that appears on Amazon and I take in what’s being said. I’ve adjusted plots or even just character traits as a result so yes, I do take feedback on board. I’d be daft not to.

9) So far you’ve stuck with writing about Robin Hood and the other characters within the series. Do you ever think you’ll move away from them onto something new?

Oh aye! I’ll write one more Robin book to finish his story off, with perhaps another novella using those characters, but then I’ll move onto a completely new series. I’ve got loads of ideas for it – a main character, titles, plot lines, even the books I’ll need to research the period!

10) Linking in nicely with the previous question.. Future plans? I’d definitely like to know what you’ve got planned for us next

I’ll be sticking with Britain as the setting but going a few hundred years further back in time from my Robin Hood books…I plan on making the next series about a druid but he’s more like a cross between Little John and Friar Tuck than the old white-beard from the Asterix stories! This guy will be a hardman who’s a real product of his time, so possibly something of an anti-hero…

I can’t say more because I’ve not really planned anything out. I need to tie up the Robin Hood series

first so, next year, 2016, keep your eyes peeled!

Thanks for this Steven! Very much looking forward to reading more books from you in the near future 🙂

If you didn’t know Steven’s latest novella is available now! and it’s perfect for Christmas. Click the image below to head to Amazon where you can get your copy!

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